by Dani Pettrey
Definitely wasn’t pleasant, but she was used to death. “We need to ask you some questions.”
Brody’s face pinched. “Like what?”
“We’re checking on his activity leading up to his climb.” She glanced over her shoulder at Jake. “Jake’s a deputy with Yancey’s Sheriff’s Department. He’s investigating Conrad’s death.”
Brody sat on the only open edge of his desk. “What’s to investigate? Conrad had a climbing accident.”
Jake looked at Kayden, giving her the opportunity to respond, which she appreciated since she and Brody had a past—no matter how far in the past it actually was.
She took a steadying breath, knowing the news would affect everyone in the climbing community. It always stung when they lost one of their own, but murder was that much colder.
She cleared her throat. “I’m afraid it wasn’t an accident.”
Brody’s eyes narrowed, his confused gaze shifting between her and Jake. “What?”
“His chalk was tampered with.”
Brody shifted. “What do you mean tampered with?”
“I mean someone compromised Conrad’s chalk.”
“Let me get this straight. You’re suggesting someone purposely compromised Conrad’s chalk so he’d fall on his climb?”
“I’m not suggesting. Yancey’s ME confirmed it this morning. An ingredient was added to Conrad’s chalk that rendered it useless.” Actually, the Dodecanol went a step further, causing the opposite of the chalk’s intended effect, but they didn’t need to share such specifics to get the point across. As Jake had explained, it was better to keep their information close to the vest, at least at this juncture in the investigation.
Brody slumped back. “I don’t believe it. Who would do something like that?”
“That’s why we’re here. We need your help.”
“My help? I wasn’t on the climb.”
“No,” Jake said, resting his hands on the back of her chair. “But we’ve been told Conrad climbed here regularly.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So do you think anyone in the gym knew about his Stoneface climb ahead of time?” she asked.
“Of course. Conrad talked about it nonstop.” He lifted his chin at Kayden. “You know how it is. When you have an upcoming climb, you’re pumped to share.”
“When was the last time Conrad was in?”
“The day before his climb.”
So Vivienne had been telling the truth about that.
Kayden crossed her legs. “Who had access to Conrad’s equipment that day?”
“Conrad.”
“And?” she pressed. When he shook his head, she rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. Everyone knows people just shove their stuff in one of the open cubbies when they shower or use the facilities.”
“And . . . ?”
“And anyone in the building around the same time as Conrad could have tampered with his chalk.”
Brody’s blue eyes narrowed. “You’re saying someone in my gym tampered with Conrad’s stuff?”
Jake kept his voice calm and even. “We need to explore all the possibilities.”
Brody shook his head. “I don’t believe this. Don’t believe you of all people”—he pointed at Kayden—“would come in here and suggest one of our climbers would do such a thing. Man, I heard you turned cold after you lost your mom, but I didn’t believe it until just now.”
Kayden ignored the painful barb from a guy she’d once cared for, and steeled herself, like always. “This has nothing to do with me. In fact, I find it odd you’d shift directly to outrage.”
Brody linked his muscular arms across his broad chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means, if you really were Conrad’s friend, you’d want to find his killer.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. You don’t actually think I had anything to do with this?”
“She never said that,” Jake said, “but it’s interesting you’d go there.”
“I didn’t go anywhere. I’m ticked because this isn’t how we handle things.”
“We?” Jake asked.
“The climbing community.”
“Are you suggesting people in the climbing community would cover for another?”
“Nah, man. I’m saying we’re a tight-knit community. We watch each other’s backs. We rely on each other. We don’t hurt each other, or set them up to die.”
It was true, but it appeared someone within the community had lost sight of that and crossed a terrible line.
“So you can’t think of anyone who may have wanted to hurt Conrad?” Jake asked.
“No, man.”
“Anyone showing an odd interest in him lately?”
“No.” He paused. “Well . . . I suppose . . . when you put it that way.”
“Yeah?” Kayden pressed.
“His buddy for the Stoneface climb.”
“Stuart Anderson?” she asked, already not a fan.
“Yeah.”
“What about him?” Jake asked.
“He was real insistent on the climb.”
Jake’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean insistent?”
“I told Conrad I wasn’t sure he was ready for Stoneface. It’s an advanced climb, and Conrad was only a few years in.”
“How’d he respond?” Kayden asked.
“He ran it by Stuart, and . . .”
“Stuart convinced Conrad he’d be fine?”
Brody tapped his nose. “You got it. He really pumped Conrad up. There was no talking him out of it after that.”
Kayden shifted, looking back at Jake. Now came the really awkward part.
Thankfully Jake took the lead. “We were told Conrad bought his climbing supplies here.”
“Sometimes . . .” Brody’s words dropped off as his face slackened. “I don’t believe this. Don’t believe you.” His intense expression bore into Kayden, and suddenly she was sixteen again—her and Brody sitting on her front porch swing, him leaning in to press his soft lips to hers for the first time.
“We’ve got to ask,” she said.
“You didn’t.”
“Meaning?” She knew exactly what he meant. She could have sent someone else. Could have refused to ask her first crush, first boyfriend, if he’d played any role in Conrad Humphries’ death.
“The old Kayden would know exactly what I meant.” He shook his head with a sigh. “Can’t believe the rumors are true.”
Don’t ask. “What rumors would that be?”
“That you’re a cold b—”
“Enough!” Jake roared, shielding her with his body. “Answer the question. Did Conrad Humphries purchase his chalk here?”
“Not for the last three months.”
“Where has he been buying it?”
“Natalie Adams’ place.”
“Imnek Island Adventures?” Kayden asked.
“Yeah. Natalie started carrying a new line of climbing equipment and she’s been underbidding me ever since.”
“Sorry about that,” Kayden said. Owning Last Frontier Adventures, she knew the crunch of being lowballed by a competitor.
“Whatever.” Brody shrugged with taut shoulders. “Our shop sales are a fraction of our intake, and I’ve got a lot of loyal customers. Only a small amount moved to buy from Nat.”
“Any idea when Conrad last stocked up on chalk?” Jake asked.
“Nope. You’d have to ask Natalie.”
Kayden looked at Jake. “Guess we know where our next visit is.”
Jake desperately wanted to comfort Kayden after Brody’s cruel remarks, but he was at a loss. How could he comfort her without making her feel even more uncomfortable?
She glanced back at the climbing gym. “Brody’s reaction was off. He was far too defensive.”
“You and he go a ways back?”
She slipped her hands in her faded jean pockets. “We were friends . . .”
“And then . . . ?”
“We dated in high scho
ol.”
“But . . . ?” He was pushing his luck. She’d actually just shared more than she ever had with him intentionally.
“His family moved to Imnek my senior year.”
The year her mom died. “That must have been hard.” He swallowed, knowing she’d either take what he said next as the truth it was or she’d brush it off as if Brody’s words hadn’t stung. He cleared his throat. “What Brody said isn’t true.”
She frowned. “Which part?” She was clearly focusing on the case, not his comments directed at her.
Jake held her gaze, and the depth of emotion she never could hide in her amazing almond-shaped eyes nearly stole his breath away. “The part about you.” He prayed she wouldn’t look away, and shockingly, she didn’t immediately break off eye contact. Simply gave a quick nod—leaving it at that.
Jake inhaled, studying her. What made her tick? What drove her? He excelled at reading people, and over the years he’d come to understand quite a bit about Kayden, but what intrigued him most was the part he couldn’t read. He could predict how she would act, react, in almost every situation, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why she was the way she was, why she reacted the way she did. It was tied to the loss of her mother, he was sure. But there was more, something deeper, related to that event that drove her. He would probably never know. It was for the man she would finally decide to open her heart to, and as desperately as he ached for it to be him, he feared it never could be.
Fear. He’d never fully experienced that emotion until the loss of Becca and the baby. Maybe if he’d had a little more fear before that, they’d still be alive. It’s why he’d tried so carefully when it came to guarding his heart. But any fool could see when it came to Kayden, and the rest of the McKennas, he’d slipped up, let his guard fall. And the desperate fear he could lose the family he’d come to love, the woman he’d come to love, was like a stranglehold on his heart. Suffocating.
9
Jake walked beside Kayden, the sun glinting off his fair skin. There was so much she wanted to know.
“It’s okay,” he said with a lopsided smile.
“What is?” She prayed he wasn’t bringing Brody up again. Brody’s words had stung, but she’d shaken them off just like she did everything else. Jake’s concern was thoughtful, and she’d fought hard not to crawl back into her fortress—actually answering his questions with honesty, but one step at a time was frightening enough.
He plucked a wild flower growing by the sidewalk and rolled its stem through his fingers. “I know you’re curious.”
Her brows pinched. Where is he going with this? “About . . . ?”
“Me.” He smiled slowly, in a way he’d never smiled before, and it left her throat suddenly parched. He was so virile, so handsome . . . so . . . so much she shouldn’t be thinking about.
He dipped his head. “It’s okay to ask. If it’s something I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”
She laughed, the tightness in her belly relaxing.
He arched a brow, his lip twitching with a smile. “What?”
She shook her head. “Just sounds like something I’d say.”
“Maybe we’re more alike than you think.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Maybe.”
A knock sounded on his door. Reef smiled. He’d been wondering how long it would take. “Come in.”
Piper stepped inside. “Getting settled?”
“Yes.” He put the last of his things in the dresser, waiting for it.
Piper sank onto the bed. “She’s very nice.”
There it is. He glanced at the clock. Thirty seconds to bring up Anna. It was a new record. “Yes, she is.”
“So how long have you—”
“Been going to church?”
“I was going to say known Anna, but sounds like they happened at the same time, so sure.”
“Three months.”
“She’s—”
“Very different from the girls I usually date.”
Piper threw a pillow at him. “You’re taking the fun out of this.”
He caught the pillow before it smashed him in the face. Her aim was getting better. “Sorry. I just know you too well.”
“And I know you.”
“And . . . ?”
“And I’m really happy for you.”
“But . . . ?”
“But”—she shifted, sitting Indian-style—“I’m just curious.”
He chuckled. “When aren’t you?”
“True.”
He sat on the bed beside her. “So what do you want to know?”
“What made you decide to start going to church?”
“My time here with you all. I saw the difference church makes in your life. I saw the direction my life was headed, and I knew I needed to make a change.”
“That’s great, but it’s not church that makes the difference—it’s Christ.”
Semantics—not worth quibbling over now.
“And Anna?” she prodded.
“Is perfect.”
“Really?”
He frowned. “Why do you say it like that?”
“She seems great, but I—”
“Just don’t see her with someone like me?”
“Actually, I was going to say it the other way around. You’re so full of life and adventure.”
“And it’s time that part of my life settled down.”
“You can settle down in some ways without giving up your love of adventure.”
“I’m not giving it up. I’m just toning it down.” He stood, moving for the window. “You know, I’m surprised. I thought you’d be thrilled.”
“I am. If you’re happy, I’m happy. I just want to make sure you’re truly happy.”
“I’m happy, Piper.” It was just a different kind of happy.
Piper stood. “Good. Then I’m happy for you. Anna is a lovely girl.”
“Who we’ve left waiting long enough.” He followed Piper back down the hall to the room Anna would be staying in—his old room. He was confused. He’d thought Piper would be thrilled, not concerned. He’d brought home a good girl. He was making good changes. Why the hesitation on her part? Why the questioning? So Anna didn’t love adventure sports—or sports, period. That didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. The fact that she loved God was much more important. Didn’t Piper get that? Or was he the one missing the mark again?
Jake followed Kayden into Imnek Island Adventures. They provided services similar to those of Last Frontier Adventures—equipping and guiding Alaskan adventures. Though, while LFA was co-owned and run by the McKenna siblings, IIA was a sole venture run by adrenaline junkie and outdoor enthusiast Natalie Adams.
Natalie was a nice enough gal. She and Jake’s wilderness groups had crossed paths numerous times over the last couple years.
Natalie stood behind the counter, her sandy hair dipping over her eye as she scanned a brochure. A fresh box of them sat on the counter beside her.
The shop was similar in size to Last Frontier Adventures and carried most of the same gear—dry suits, dive tanks, snorkeling gear, ski and snowboard equipment, kayaking and rafting supplies. Natalie’s shop, however, lacked Piper’s fun-loving tropical touches—the leis draped over the Last Frontier Adventure’s display cases, the surfer posters on the walls, even the Hawaiian tunes playing over the speakers. Natalie’s place looked like an Alaskan shop, while theirs looked like it could be in Hawaii or California.
“Hey, Natalie,” Kayden said.
Natalie looked up, blowing the hair from her eyes. “Hey, Kayden, Jake.”
“How’s it going?” Jake asked.
Natalie shrugged. “Can’t complain.” She shifted her gaze to Kayden. “Heard you made a grisly discovery.”
Kayden slipped her hands into her pockets. “Afraid so.”
“Sorry to hear about Conrad. Always a bummer to lose a climber.”
Or any human life. Jake understood camaraderie within the sport, bu
t murder was murder. It was always terrible.
Kayden cut straight to it. “We’ve been told Conrad bought his chalk here?”
“Yeah.” Natalie set the brochure back in the box and leaned forward.
“When was that? What day?”
“The afternoon before his climb at Stoneface.”
“Are you certain about the timing?”
“Positive. He dropped by after work. I opened a new package. Gave him half. Used the other half for myself. We both had climbs the next day.”
“Where’d you climb?”
“Over on Tariuk, too, but on the east side.”
“And you had no problems with your chalk?”
“Nope.”
“You got any of the batch left?” Jake asked.
“I’m sure there’s at least a little. I’ll go check. My chalk bag’s in my locker.”
Jake watched Natalie head for the rear of the shop. “It will be a huge break if she has any left, will help us determine when the Dodecanol was added—before or after it left Natalie’s shop.”
“How can we be sure what she shows us really is from the same batch? Especially if it comes up short on Dodecanol?”
“Booth can match the other components.”
Natalie slipped back through the office door with a chalk bag in hand. “Sorry. There’s hardly any left.”
Jake studied the fine dusting of chalk lining the inside of the bag. He smiled. There was enough. “You’d be amazed by what the ME can do with even a small amount.”
“Oh. So you want to take it?”
“Yes, we do,” he said.
Natalie swallowed. “Okay. I suppose that’d be all right.”
“Great.” He took the bag from her before she could change her mind and slipped it into an evidence bag. “Thanks.”
Natalie nodded, her hands clasped tight.
“How well did you know Conrad?” Kayden asked, proceeding with the questioning. Jake smiled. She certainly wasn’t subtle, and he loved that about her.
“Well enough, I suppose.” Natalie moved back behind the counter, putting an effective barrier between them. “I taught Conrad to climb.”
“Really?” Kayden slipped her hair behind her ear. “I thought he learned over at Brody’s gym.”
“He did. I was his instructor there.”